Eight in 10 women employed in tech roles work in non-tech companies

BridgeLabz, a leading AWS-recognized incubator focused on solving tech employability, in a BridgeLabz Tech Employability Quotient (BTEQ) survey, finds that the participation of women in the technology sector in India is considerably lower in comparison with other industries.

An initiative by BridgeLabz, BTEQ is a score that determines the likelihood of getting a development job in the tech industry. The report released by BridgeLabz showed how women were underrepresented in the technology sector with the list showing 21% women in roles of IT executives, 13% in business operations, 13% in project and program management, 3% in cloud computing, 2% in DevOps, and the least in Cybersecurity with 1%.

The survey also showcased how 79% of women employed in tech roles were actually in non-tech companies, with IT services, despite being the largest reported industry, having only 21% women population.

The Tech-Employability 2021-22 survey was conducted with more than 20,000 engineering graduates from various streams across India. It revealed that the average score of women stood at 27% against 31% of men in 2020, which increased to 40% as against 39% of men in 2021, thereby showcasing how women were better prepared for employment than men. However, in 2020, the average score of women declined to 25% as against 28% of men, the first decline in three years mainly due to the adoption of the hybrid mode of learning.

Speaking on the findings, Mr. Narayan Mahadevan, Founder, BridgeLabz, said, “At a time when the entire landscape of tech employability is witnessing tremendous changes, the staggering low numbers of women in the Indian tech industry is a huge sign of concern. We feel there is an urgent need to create a gender-represented and equitable workforce and to achieve that we need to understand the needs, wants, and aspirations of the women employees. Instilling workplace diversity owing to increased women’s participation in tech is the need of the hour and the foundations of that begin with reimplementing core office policies and practices. It doesn’t stop there as moving forward, we need more enhanced focus on a strong command of coding skills foundation along with a problem-solving and critical thinking mindset.”

Talent from lower tier cities and states have better employability scores than those from metro cities as per our survey. According to the BTEQ (BridgeLabz tech employability test quotient) survey; aimed to determine the readiness of the engineering talent for development jobs, conducted with more than 20,000 engineering graduates from varied streams across India revealed that Mizoram has around 37.8% of ready talent followed by Jammu & Kashmir with 35.88% and Goa with 33.23%. In 2021, Andhra Pradesh had 41% of ready talent followed by Assam with 32% and Bihar with 31%. The average score was 27% in 2020 which increased to 40% in 2021 and came back to 27% in 2022.

BridgeLabz bridges the gap between talent and employment in the tech industry. The platform is ensuring that engineering graduates have relevant skills for development jobs in the sector with various initiatives. BridgeLabz recently launched a #TaketheBridge campaign that focuses on providing 100% tech employability through an experiential learning approach. With online coding sessions and mentorship programs, the main objective was to enrich engineering students, freshers, and IT professionals with upgraded tech-based skills. APN News